Garden Tip 183:

 My favorite flowering garden plant this time of year is Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. Foxgloves grow in sun or shade with sturdy stems reaching a height of 20 to 60 inches tall.

Their bell-shaped flowers open from the bottom to the top of the stem and attract bees, hummingbirds and other nectar seeking pollinators. Flower colors include white, pink, purple and rose. Foxgloves are biennial.

Many folks think that biennial plants flower every other year, but that is not the case. Biennials are garden plants that take two years to complete their life cycle. Once you have biennial flowers in your garden, such as foxglove, forget me not and money plant, you will always have those flowers, just not on the same plant!

Biennial seedlings develop in late summer from seeds dropped by the plant. The seedlings overwinter and grow and flower the next season. The cycle continues, usually adding multiple plants every year. Foxglove, majestic yet magical, add a beautiful and classic vertical element to any garden.